Ultimate Navy Preview 2007 Slotbacks

Today we continue with our Ultimate Navy Preview 2007, taking a look at the slotbacks in Paul Johnson's triple option offense. Navy returns both starting slotbacks from 2006, including their top reserve in Shun White. While their are technically only two starters at the position, head coach Paul Johnson routinely rotates up to three or four players in at the position during a game. We say this every year, but it rings true again this year. This is the best group of Navy slotbacks during Johnson's tenure. Let's go ahead and take a look at the three deep...

Reggie Campbell: What more can you say about Reggie? He's the most dynamic and explosive player on this Navy team, and has the ability to take the ball to the house whenever he touches the football. Campbell had a breakthrough sophomore campaign where he rushed for 514 yards and seven touchdown, while catching 12 balls for more than 300 yards and two scores. He is of course best remembered for his five touchdown performance against Colorado St. in the 2005 Poinsettia Bowl, in which he scored five touchdowns and had his face plastered all over ESPN (a good thing in this case.) Last season he only continued in his on-field brilliance, rushing for over 700 yards while catching 13 balls for 244 yards. Because of his diminutive 5'6 size, it's often said that Campbell couldn't play anywhere else but Navy. That may be more may not be true, but don't make the mistake of overlooking his pure athletic ability. He's one of the top sprinters in the Patriot League, and has insane strength for his size (460 yard squat.) Die-hard Navy fans saw the extent of Campbell's athletic ability during the spring game, where the 5'6 slotback (probably closer to 5'5) out jumped the 5'11 Jeff Deliz to make an incredible catch downfield. Because of his size, he's also incredibly difficult to tackle and unbelievably elusive out of the backfield, often able to slip the outside linebacker or safety who "runs the ally." I think Steve Kragthorpe said it best when he said a number of Navy players, including Campbell, could play for him any day.

"Reggie Campbell is a great football player. He can play any place in the country, there's no question. You can ask 117 teams that would love to have Campbell on their team."

I know part of that is just being respectful of the opponent, but Coach Kragthorpe's point is simple, and that is that Reggie Campbell is just a damn good football player in every aspect of the game. Not only is he a fantastic rusher and pass receiver, but the guy has been solid on kickoff (and the occasional punt) returns and even does an amazing job covering punts as a gunner. He is also an unheralded blocker who seems to come out of nowhere to cut guys down on the open field. Heck, the only think I think I haven't seen Reggie do is throw a pass, and you never know what Coach Johnson has up his sleeve. I don't know if I've ever enjoyed watching a football player on the collegiate level any more than Reggie, and 2007 should be his biggest year yet.

Zerbin Singleton: Often described as a "tenacious blocker," Zerb is hands down the most underrated player on this Navy football team (at least as far as this blogger is concerned.) He has the uncanny ability to stick of defenders and to cut them down with precisions cut blocks, and often paves the way for long runs down field by the other slot-backs. He had a huge game in the Mieneke Car Care Bowl last year, running for 71 yards and a touchdown on only six carries. Although he doesn't often get the chance to show it, he's also a solid receiver out of the slot, and could be utilized more in this respect next season. Despite his 5'8 frame Zerb is incredibly strong and has a reputation as being one of the strongest Navy players in recent memory. He's not as fast as Reggie or Shun, but he's a shifty runner in the open field and difficult to get a grasp of. He's also incredibly bright, which I guess you have to be when you're carrying a 3.29 GPA in Aerospace Engineering.

Shun White: A very talented player who burst onto the scene as a sophomore last season, White looks primed for an even bigger 2007. He's arguably one of the fastest player on the team and it shows, as he averaged an unreal 12.0 yards a carry last season en route to 578 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. He has excellent vision and the ability to make defenders miss in the open field, and could even be utilized as a kickoff returner in 2007. One thing White does need to improve upon is his blocking. If he can be more consistent in that aspect of his game then he goes from being a good player to a very special one.

Greg Shinego: A rising junior who has yet to see meaningful action with the first team, Shinego nevertheless runs with a full head of steam and is more than capable of breaking long runs. He's going to need to show that he can be a consistent blocker to receive significant playing time in 2007, but he should find his way onto the field from time to time. Last season Shun White came seemingly out of nowhere and although it's unlikely Shinego will gallop for 500+ yards this year, he's one of my picks as a surprise performer of 2007.

Bobby Doyle: Like Shinego, Bobby Doyle has a chance to develop into a very good player for the Midshipmen. He was a do-it-all athlete at Chardon high school in Ohio, playing both running back and quarterback. He has plenty of speed and good vision, and is more than capable of making people miss in the open field. He should have a chance to see some limited work at the position in 2007, but expect him to see regular playing time in 2008.

Others:

Scott Oswald- Excellent speed and good size.

Cory Finnerty- Needs to show better ability as a blocker.

Frank Rizzo- No relation to the famed Muppets character.

Overall: This is a very solid group which has earned even some well deserved national acclaim. Campbell is, quite literally, superman out of the field while Shun has big play ability written all over him. Everyone knows how good of a blocker Zerb is, but don't overlook his running ability in 2007. By the same token, watch out for Doyle and Shinego in fall camp, as either one of them could work their way into the rotation. This group is clearly the biggest streagth on the entire Navy team.

Grade: 9.5

Photo of Reggie Campbell from Defenselink.mil. Photo of Zerbin Singleton courtesy of Navysports.com. Photos of Shun White, Bobby Doyle, and Greg Shinego from my collection.

Spring Game Report

The sun was shining on Saturday afternoon in Annapolis, Maryland, as Navy’s Blue team bested the Gold team in the intrasquad matchup at Navy-Marine Crops Memorial Stadium in front of, well, I’d say a few hundred folks, give or take. And while the game was more of a reward for the hard work of the past month or so, for what it’s worth I took some notes, and have recorded my impressions below.

I guess I’ll begin with the quarterbacks, since that’s where these reports usually start out. Both Kaipo-Noa and Troy Goss sat out, which made for an interesting matchup between Jarod Bryant on the Blue team and Greg Zingler on the Gold team. Both however, were marked with a degree of inconsistency, although one would think Zingler was much more inconsistent than Bryant. Jarod made some good throws, including the game’s only touchdown, going 9-15 for 135 yards on the day. As noted before, Bryant has really improved in the running the option, although he did make a few mistakes in the scrimmage, including a fumbled exchange and a couple of poor pitches. With all the talk about his arm strength, I think we as fans underestimate his athletic ability, and a performance like the one he had today reminds us that when it comes to eluding tacklers, Jarod is second to none on this team. He shows good quickness at hitting the hole, and really impressed me with his ball fakes and head fakes. His reads were shaky at times, and I thought he could have gone to the fullback more when the defense walked people up from the ends. While he’ll get another chance to challenge Kaipo during fall practice, he’s a solid number two quarterback for the time being. Zingler was, well, up and down. I thought when he threw the ball well his receivers failed to make plays, and when he threw the ball poorly bad things happened (five picks, although one was clearly not his fault.) He did not get a ton of help from the Gold team offensive line, but than again he held onto the football way too long at times and was unable to avoid sacks.

The fullbacks, as you can expect, played well as usual, although Adam Ballard left the game in the second quarter with a limp. Eric Kettani continued to impress, bouncing off tackles and picking his way through the Blue defense for. Kevin Campbell also did well, rushing for. 35 yards on 1 carries.

At the risk of making a statement much too broad, Reggie Campbell really seems like he’s on another planet in terms of pure, unadulterated athletic ability. Maybe it’s the fact that he out-jumped Jeff Deliz (who happens to be five inches taller than Reggie) on a pass downfield, or maybe it’s the fact that he simply eludes tackles at will, but the guy is special. He did not see a ton of time in the game, but, as always, he was electric whenever he touched the ball. Zerb Singleton played well in limited time as well, and Jon Forbes showed some good moves.

I was very much impressed with Greg Sudderth, who looks much more comfortable as a receiver than he did at defensive back. Sudderth showed us all why he was so highly touted out of High School during the Blue-Gold game, getting separation downfield and picking up tough yards after the catch. I think he’s going to solidify his spot as the team’s third receiver, and could even push an often injured Tyree Barnes for playing time in the fall. He certainly has the big-play potential in the receiving department, and is showing himself to be a decent downfield blocker.

Speaking of wide receivers, how about O.J. Washington? He nearly makes a great catch on the first play of the day, and avoided the obvious drops that plagued many of the backup wideouts. We all know he’s excellent blocker, but the strides he’s made in the receiving facet of his game have really come alive. He is clearly the number one guy at receiver, and is probably one of the only “sure things” on the offensive depth chart.

As mentioned before, the other wideouts played somewhat inconsistently. Nick Henderson did show the ability to create separation, but also fell down on a route which led to a pick. The blocking by the receivers could also improve as well/

Both teams showed a couple of different looks in the defensive backfield, and despite having a fairly quiet day, FS Jeff Deliz has probably earned the starting job with a solid overall spring. 5-7 Darius Terry showed some ability at corner with an interception, as did rising senior Jordan Reagan. I’m really high on Reagan, who is also one of the fastest players on the team. He’s a smart player with good athleticism who also shows the ability to come off the edge on blitzes. He recorded one interception in the game, and has put himself in a position to further challenge for playing time this fall.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of watching the game was the battle that was going on between NT Nate Frazier and C Antron Harper. And when I say battle, I’m not exaggerating. These guys have gone after it all spring, with the 5-11 Harper really taking it to the highly touted 6-3 Frazier. Frazier made some good plays in the backfield as the game progressed, but you could really see him having problems with Harper early, even when the converted center was isolated on him. This is great news for both players, who will instrumental on their respected parts of the line next year.

The play between the “O” and “D” lines was, in my estimation anyway, very back and forth. I guess that’s what you can expect in a game like this, which Johnson has continually said was “just for fun.” Still, the offensive lines on both teams committed several penalties, including some silly false starts that must be corrected.

At linebacker, Clint Sovie continued to distinguish himself, as did Jon Alvarado, who shows a real ability to read plays and come off of blocks. He finished the day with 13 tackles and two sacks. Matt Humiston was also impressive, and has the athletic ability necessary to anchor the outside linebacker position. Jesse Iwuji, Scott Reider, and Arti Pauls all made some eye-opening hits, as did Ross Pospisil, who had eight tackles and two sacks.

Overall, it was a good day to get out and watch a little football, and considering the team avoided any major injuries, a good day in the development of this particular team.

I’ll be back later to share more thoughts on both the Spring Game and Spring Practices in general. Until then you can read the official release of the game from Navysports.com or head over for continued coverage at GoMids.com.